BOULDER – A Colorado man was arrested after investigators say he set his mother’s house on fire while trying to get rid of cobwebs with a blowtorch.

The Boulder Daily Camera reports the 39-year-old man was taken into custody after Monday’s fire near Longmont. He faces charges of first-degree arson, criminal mischief causing $20,000 to $100,000 in damages, possession of a controlled substance and violation of a protection order.

No one was injured in the fire.

Investigators say the man acknowledged using a blowtorch to clear cobwebs in the crawlspace under the home, and he tried to put out the fire for an hour by himself before calling emergency crews. The blaze caused about $100,000 in damages.

According to an affidavit, the man had a court order barring him from being within 100 feet of the home and being around his mother, who lived in the house. His mother told investigators she had been allowing him to stay at the home recently because he is homeless.

Authorities say the man also was in possession of a small bag of methamphetamine.